Biking the Watershed

We had quite an exciting day today as we hit the Sac & Fox Trail on bike!

We made quite a few stops to explore the ecosystem that surrounds the Cedar River.

We had quite an exciting ride!

In the afternoon we took a closer look at our watershed by hopping into the Indian Creek.

We kept our eyes out for some aquatic creatures to look at.

We founds crawdads...

...a frog...

...and even a credit card!

...but our biggest find of the day was a scapula (shoulder blade) of a still to be determined mammal.

A wonderful day exploring the river and creek!

Today was our last day of Young Explorers Camp, and we filled it with some of our favorite things to do!

First we went down to the wetland to fish.

We waited very patiently...

...and with the help of our wiggly friends...

...we caught some fish!

(and a turtle too!)

In the afternoon we made our way down to our favorite blackberry patch.

We collected enough for a special treat later in the day...

...but first we went down to the creek and our favorite swimming hole!

The kids had a great time jumping, splashing, and even making some neat drip sandcastles. 


We ended the day--and the week--on a sweet note with ice cream topped with freshly picked raspberries. yum!

This was a truly memorable and enjoyable week in the outdoors.

Young Explorers Day Three

 We started off day three with a nice hike through the forest--all the way up to the conifers and back to the ancient bog.

 We found lots of cool plants!

 Our attempt at a "nice" group picture...

 In the afternoon we went down the Indian Creek.

 We had a fun time looking for water creatures with the nets.

 Everyone had a great time!

 We ended the day with some lovely tunes from our talented musicians.

A very enjoyable day!

Young Explorers Day Two

 We started our day off by taking a dip in the river.

 Oh look! David's being followed by a school of fish!

 Some of us undertook a construction project.

 We took some time exploring the shore...

 and even caught a fish!

 We also had the chance to stand under the bridge when the train went by!

The kids decided to have dinner and a show, so they ate lunch by the frog pond.

 In the afternoon we hit the trails!

We made it pretty far up Bena Brook.

 Eventually, we stopped to try our hand at making drip sand castles.

 Before we started back, we also took some time constructing a dam comparable to any beaver's!

Everyone enjoyed a day full of wading and splashing!